“Mentoring is critical if we intend to address much of the pain, abuse and abandonment that African American males suffer from. While we struggle to find mentors for young African American males, it is equally important to locate the fathers of these young brothers. A young boy’s first mentor should be his father and the other men in his family. Responsible fatherhood must be viewed as a necessary action step to begin the healing process among African American males.”

What can we do?

As I examined this problem and searched for strategies that we could implement, one thing struck me in particular—the reality that approximately 50 percent of black children in the United States live in households without a father figure present (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). I began to ask myself, Who is going to provide boys with the proper male guidance, direction, leadership, and structure that they desperately need? I want our youth to see adult males who is striving to fulfill their own potential and who is also committed to the growth and development of the younger generation. If our young boys had men in their lives whom they could relate to and identify with, they would look at their education differently and the probability for their success would increase exponentially.